We Can!® Community News Feature

Your Child's BMI Could Signal Weight Problems

(NU) - About 13 million children in the United States are overweight, and nearly that many are believed to be at risk of becoming overweight. How can you tell if your child is one of them? The standard for screening for possible weight problems is the body mass index, also called BMI.

It’s important that parents know if their child is overweight or at risk for overweight,” said Dr. Elizabeth G. Nabel, director of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health. “Excess weight increases a child’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and other chronic conditions later in life.”

What can parents do to prevent
their children from becoming
overweight? "The best way to have your
child grow at a healthy weight is
to balance energy in with energy
out," Nabel says.
"Energy in" is calories consumed
from food and beverages,
and "energy out" is calories
burned during physical activity.
An easy way for a child to cut energy
in is to trade a bottle of regular
soda for a glass of water each
day, and to increase energy out, go
on a family bike ride or hike.